RIAA Platinum Award for the album Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute. Released on Dec. 2, 1997, the album is a compilation of tracks by artists paying tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales whose untimely death occurred three months earlier on August 31,  1997. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA on Jan. 7, 1998 for one million copies sold. 

A great many major musical artists across many genres contributed tracks for the album including the Bee Gees, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Peter Gabriel, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and many others. The proceeds from sales of the album went towards the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund charity created in her memory.

Item Highlights:

• RIAA Platinum award
• In Excellent condition 
• First presentation award from 1998
• Presentation to music industry executive
• All original with manufacturer sticker 
  
• Letter of provenance included
• Known as a "RIAA bar hologram" award with serial number, they were made from 1998 to present
• Award measures approx. 17.5" x 17.5"
• Great item for any Princess Diana collector

Detailed Item Description: This RIAA Platinum award is a first presentation award that would have been manufactured in 1998 making it 24 years old. The award is presented to Jerry Blair, a record executive who held roles at CBS, Chrysalis, and Columbia Records.

Blair played a key role in the success of this album, which was released by Columbia Records, along with artists including Aerosmith, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin, George Michael, Will Smith and many others. The award is accompanied by a letter of provenance from Blair's son, who later took possession of his father's awards and memorabilia (see image of letter, son's name is redacted on image, buyer will receive unredacted copy).

This award is all original with Ill Eagle manufacturer's sticker. The award is in Excellent condition with only minor wear on the frame and a few mars on the plexiglass.

Notes on the condition of all vintage RIAA awards like this one: Please do not buy this item if you want a brand new piece of memorabilia. These are historical artifacts from the year they were produced. As a result they may show signs of wear. Frankly, if you see a 20 to 50-year-old award purported to be in 100% perfect condition, it might be too good to be true. After all, an antique should have "good' wear. If not, you might want to question the piece.

As to where they came from, they could have been displayed in record label offices, recording studios, artist manager's offices, radio stations, private collector's homes and yes, of course, possibly the artist's or songwriter's home. Typically, we don't know all the places they may have been over the years other than what we've stated in the description.